The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock with an actuation/locking lever mechanism with a first lever and a second lever with both levers being couplable with each other in at least two different relative positions.
The prior art disclosed in DE 2 355 556 A describes a motor vehicle door lock with a locking mechanism containing a tong case with two tong arms. The two tong arms are mounted respectively on bolts. In addition, a spring is provided that is supported by the two bolts of the tong arms.
The generic state of the art according to DE 89 16 180 U1 discloses two levers, a coupling lever and an actuating lever that can be coupled to each other and in different relative positions. One relative position corresponds to the coupled state, whilst another relative position corresponds to the uncoupled state. In principle, this arrangement has proven to be successful. The known solution requires, however, a kinematically complicated design and is hardly suitable for other applications as the change in coupling position is achieved by a double stroke activation.
In more modern motor vehicle door lock versions equipped with a so-called quick release function, this quick release function ensures that the actual unlocking operation carried out by a motor is shortened, for instance as part of a so-called “keyless entry” function. For this purpose, various actuating operations are required, with the aid of which the actuating lever chain is directly moved into the unlocked state or a previously interrupted mechanical connection to the release lever is produced (see DE 10 2005 043 227 B3). This arrangement has generally been successful can, however be improved as regards the coupling used between the levers integrated in the quick release unit. Indeed there is the general possibility or even danger with this arrangement that two levers coupled during this process are not exactly aligned with each other in their relative position, resulting in malfunctioning. The invention seems to remedy this situation.
The invention is based on the technical problem of developing such a motor vehicle door lock further in such a way that the coupling of the two levers functions correctly and is produced with little effort.